Watch those keys, teachers!
by Jennifer Satterwhite

Contributing Editor Jenn Satterwhite also blogs at Mommy Needs Coffee and Mommybloggers.


This was too good to resist. Parents, you think that your kids are learning just Reading, Writing and Arithmetic in school. Perhaps not. Perhaps they are putting to good use skills they have learned through the ever influential world of Gaming.

In Modesto, California, an 8 year old boy decided to put these incredible skills to work for him when he lifted the keys of his teacher's minivan and decided to take it for a little spin. (Full story here.)

The theft occurred when the boy lifted the teacher's car keys from her purse, went outside to where her vehicle was parked, started her minivan and took a leisurely cruise around the neighborhood. He drove safely home. We know that school sucks at times, but this little kid must have really waned to cut school.

Think your kids aren't picking up a thing or two outside of the classroom, think again. The punchline to the story (which really made the whole thing more amusing to me, of course, seeing as I have THREE gamer children) is this:

The mother of the boy said his favorite video game was... Grand Theft Auto.

The young boy will not faces charges, however, he has been removed from that teacher's (Caren Brady's) class.

"You can't do anything but laugh," said Brady, who spent 90 minutes Tuesday teaching other pupils about the consequences of choices they make. She said she would not let the boy return to her class, according to the Bee.

(Original link found here. Image courtesy of Amazon.com)

--
Jenn
(BlogHer Mommy & Family contributing editor)
Mommy Needs Coffee |Mommybloggers

Submitted by Jennifer Satterwhite (view blog) on Tue, 04/25/2006 - 08:27

Comments

 

One point

I suppose the only thing that confuses me is why Brady isn't allowing the boy back into her class. It doesn't seem like a very large elementary school, so it's not as if she can 'avoid' him. Then again, he's an 8-year-old boy and actually did a fantastic job driving the car - nobody/nothing was hurt, can't she be an adult about the situation?

Submitted by ViewFromDupont on Tue, 04/25/2006 - 08:23
 

This is Why Kids Have No Respect for Teachers

The previous comment perfectly illustrated why so many kids have no respect for teachers, or any adults for that matter. This teacher is being an adult; she is showing the student that there are consequences for stealing a teacher's personal property and behaving in a potentially life-threatening way. It's only by chance that no one was hurt. That does not excuse what the student did. And a teacher should have the right not to have to teach a student who violates her trust in this way.

Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen

Submitted by Kalyn Denny on Tue, 04/25/2006 - 16:23
 

Don't post reckless comments; families DO
read them!

I think when people post the kind of nonsense judgements like ViewFromDupont did, they need to be aware that family members of those involved in news stories do find these sorts of posts very offensive. Ms. Brady is my aunt, a veteran teacher and an awesome mother of 4.

>Then again, he's an 8-year-old boy and actually did a >fantastic job driving the car - nobody/nothing was hurt, >can't she be an adult about the situation?

Are you kidding me??? Be adult about the situation?! This was a very serious incident and I certainly hope that ViewFromDupont is not a parent with this reckless sort of attitude. Maybe if people started parenting their kids instead of leaving it to teachers, there would be fewer of these incidents.

Submitted by Larry on Sun, 05/28/2006 - 21:36
 

It's hard for me to see the humor here

Am I the only person who is bothered that an eight-year-old kid is playing Grand Theft Auto, which, according to the game's liner notes, is set in an "amoral" universe? In the game, the protagonist doesn't just steal cars, he shoots police officers and civilians, consorts with hookers, and engages in mayhem at will.

There is a reason GTA has an "M" rating. Regardless of what one thinks of the game itself, it's intended for an audience that is supposed to be able to differentiate between right and wrong, between fantasy and reality. This child plays the game, then steals a car. Developmentally, he doesn't even have the ability reason abstractly yet, and he doesn't have a fully-formed conscience. Regardless of his driving skills, there is a problem.

Lest you think I'm just an anti-gaming bigot, I have a gamer son and I actually am part of a faculty team that created a curriculum to teach students how to make interactive video games. And yes, I know that kids can get screwy ideas -- I'm not saying the game made the boy steal the car. But I am suggesting that the game probably boosted his confidence that he could pull the stunt off, while lowering his inhibitions.

An aside to Larry -- I'm sure you know more about the particulars of this story than I do, but I don't assume that the parents aren't trying to do their job. Parents face an uphill battle when it comes to trying to keep their kids from being exposed to media content that is consistent with their values. Try to keep the games out of your house, there are friends -- and sometimes adult relatives who'll let your kid play. They can get bootleg copies of games in school -- even in the best school districts.

I can understand why the teacher doesn't want the boy in her class. Not only did he steal from her, his actions seem to indicate a lack of respect for her authority. I hope, for his sake, that the gravity of what he has done can be impressed upon him, so that he doesn't get himself into more serious trouble in the future.
Professor Kim
BlogHer Contributing Editor, Law and Journalism/Media

Submitted by Kim Pearson on Mon, 05/29/2006 - 05:35